Christopher Paul Stelling: Itinerant Arias
On Itinerant Arias, a masterful collection of songs, Christopher Paul Stelling is willing to take his listeners into dark places, but he never loses faith in the light.
Ed Whitelock
Ed Whitelock is a professor of English at Gordon State College in Barnesville, GA, just 106 miles southwest of Philomath. He is co-author, with David Janssen, of Apocalypse Jukebox: The End of the World in American Popular Music (2009) from the PopMatters imprint of Soft Skull Press.
John Moreland: Big Bad Luv
Big Bad Luv might just turn 2017 into the Year of John Moreland.
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers: Sidelong
Sarah Shook is a honky-tonk badass with a chip on her shoulder and a kickass back-up band dedicated to the beauty of the profane.
Cory Branan: Adios
Not content to follow the rules of a single genre, Cory Branan expects his fans to work a bit at keeping up with him. With Adios, he proves worth the effort.
Future Islands: The Far Field
If Future Islands have created a formula, they have yet to exhaust its creative potential.
What Is It About Teens Behind Closed Doors That Scares Us So?
Jason Reid’s Get Out of My Room! takes us inside the private enclaves of the adolescent being, revealing both individual and collective anxieties and expectations.
Philip Lewin: Am I Really Here All Alone?
A rare, long-treasured and rare loner folk touchstone is unearthed for a new generation.
Ha Ha Tonka: Heart-Shaped Mountain
A pleasant collection of ear worms, soon to appear on a soundtrack near you.
Guy Clark: The Best of the Dualtone Years
Collecting Clark’s late-period songs and ending with a sprinkling of unreleased demos, this anthology is a reminder of what a singular songwriter he was.
The Feelies: In Between
Quieter but no less energetic, mature but still playful, the Feelies’ new record confronts the challenge of aging with eyes and hearts open.
Hayes McMullan: Everyday Seem Like Murder Here
A window into an earlier time. Plain and simple: any serious fan of the Delta blues will want this record.
Various Artists: The Rough Guide to Hillbilly Blues
The historical reframing and high quality of re-mastering make this and other Rough Guide early music collections well worth the time and investment.